Method of making gold or other metal leaf impressions.



F. A. PUTNAM.

METHOD OF MAKING GOLD OR OTHER METAL LEAF IMPRESSIONS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE I. 19!].

Patented Oct. 16, 1917.

FRED A. PUTNAM, OF MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS.

METHOD OF MAKING GOLD OR OTHER METAL LEAF IMPRESSIONS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 16, 1917.

, Application filed-June 1, 1917. Serial No. 172,228.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED A. PUTNAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Melrose, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, haveinvented an Improvement in Methods of Making Gold or other Metal LeafImpressions, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawing, is a specification, like characterson the drawingrepresenting like parts.

This invention relates to a process or method of applying gold leaf toleather, cloth, paper or other similar material thereby to make animpression thereon, and the object of the invention is to provide anovel process by which a sharp, clearcut and burnished impression can bequickly made without any loss of material.

One, method which is now commonly used in making gold leaf or othermetal leaf impressions on material consists in first applying a coatingof sizing to the material, then laying the gold leaf or other metal leafover the sized portion of the material and subsequently applying aheated die to the metal leaf thereby causing the portion thereof withwhich the die contacts to adhere to the material and make the metal leafimpression thereon.

In order to finish the impression made by this method it is necessary tobrush off from the material all of the metal leaf except that with whichthe die had contact, and'this operation entails more or less loss whichis a considerable factor where the metal leaf used is, gold leaf.Furthermore, it sometimes happens that the metal leaf will stick to thesized material at other places than that at which the die member acts onthe metal leaf, and as a result, the impression is given a somewhatsmeared appearance;

In order to avoid the sizing of the material before applying the metalleaf thereto, it has been proposed to afiix the metal leaf to a thinpaper backing and to provide a coating of sizing either on the exposedface of the metal leaf or between the metal leaf and the backing so thatwhen the heated die is pressed against the backing the metal leaf willbe separated from the backing at the points where the die contactstherewith, and such separated portions ofthe metal leaf will be causedto adhere to the material.

One of the advantages of this method of procedure is that there is nowaste, of the metal leaf because when the impression is made only thatportion of the metal leaf corresponding to the impression will beseparated from the backing, the rest of the metal leaf still beingretained onthe backing.

In order to cause the metal leaf to adhere firmly to the material it isnecessary to subject the die to considerable pressure and where the dieacts on the gold leaf through the paper backing, the pressure of thepaper against the gold leaf has a tendency to reproduce on the gold leafa representation of the surface of the paper, thus detracting from thedesired brilliancy or luster of the printed impression.

My present invention provides a novel method of making a gold leafimpression which does not involve the step of first sizing the materialand by which a brilliant lustrous impression can be made.

In accordance with my invention, I first apply the gold leaf or othermetal leaf to the material on which the impression is to be made andthen I heat the die with which the impression is to be made also themetal leaf sufiiciently to cause the portions of the metal leaf whichare subjected to the pressure of the die to separate.

from the paper backing and to adhere firmly to the material. the paperbacking is removed and the sized die is then brought directly againstthe metal leaf which has been transferred to the material, and thissecond impression After the first impression gives a smooth surface tothe impression I and removes therefrom any traces of the impression thatmight be made by the paper. A bright burnished impression is thusproduced without the loss of any metal leaf and Y which has a clear-cutoutline.

In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated inthe drawings more or less diagrammatically one manner of practising thesame which will now be described, after which the novel features will bepointed out in the appended claims.

Figure 1 shows in perspective view some of the implements by which myimproved v process may be'carried out;

Figs. 2, 3, i and illustrate different steps in the process;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the gold or metal leaf. 7

The material on which the impression is to be madeisjshownat l and thismay be l61tl181, (3l()tl1, paper or any other similar material. The goldleaf or other metal leaf is indicated at 2 and'l hare shown it asapplied to and supported by a backing 3 of porous imiterizd such forinstance, as thin porous paper." The metal leaf and paper are shown asin the form of a strip which is rolled up into the roll 4. 5 indicates aplaten or work-support on which thematerial 1 is supported while theimpression is being made, and (dis a die member having type characters'1 thereon, The die mem her is preferably heated by some suitable meansas usual when making metal leaf impressions;

In carrying out lily-method the material is firstplaced on the platen orwork-support 5 and the metal leaf strip is then placed on said materialwith themetal leaf in contact therewith; No sizing is applied 'to thematerial so that the portion of the material against which the metalleaf rests is in its natural condition: A coating of sizingis thenapplied to the face of the die 6 and thesized die is then pressed firmlyagainst the backing-3 and during-this operation the sizingon' the faceof the die will penetrate the backing 3 and also the metal leaf 2suliiciently to cause the portions ofthe metal leaf which are subjectedto the pressure of the die to separate from the backing 3 and to adhereto the material 1. The die 6 is then separated from the material and thestrip of metal leaf is removed after which anothercoating of sizing isapplied to the,

die and the sized die is brought directly against'the metal leafimpression which has been formed on the material. In making the firstimpression the pressure of the die against the backing will tend tocause it to reproduce on the 'metal leaf a representation of the surfaceof the backing; l hen the sized die makes its second impression it actsdirectly-on the metal leaf and operates to iron or smooth the surface ofthe latter, thus producinga bright, burnished impression and eliminatingany traces which the'paper backing'may have'left on the metal leaf. Aclear-cut highly-burnished impression is thusproduced without the lossof any metal leaf and without the necessity of using any more sizing'than is necessary to cause the metal leaf toadhere'to-the material;

The" operations of manipulating the metal leaf so as to bring it intoand out of operative position and of sizing the die at propertimes maybe accomplished by various means without departing from the invention.The devices herein shown are somewhat similar to those illustrated in myco-pending application Se. No. 57,360, filed @ctoberflil, 1915; Thestrip of gold leaf and its backing are carried in a swinging carrier 8and as the strip isused'itis unwound from the roll and wound "onto-aroll 9. Y The sizing of the'die is accomplished by means of 'a sizingroll l0 which is sus' tained in a swinging frame orcarrier 11; Incarrying out my improved process the swinging carriers may be sustainedon suitable machine similar to that illustrated in my above-mentionedco-pending applica the carrier S-is brought to restwith the.

metal leaf strip directly over the material: 1 and beneath the die 6,asshoWnin'Fig. 3.

The heated die 6 their descends to make the first impression; during"which the metal leaf whichconstitutes the impression is sep arated fromthe backing and caused toad here tothemateriaL- The die 6"is then raisedand the carriers Sand '11 swingforwardly again into the position shownin Fig.4, thus applying a-second coating of sizing to'the die.Thecarriers then swing" backwardly into the positionshown' in'Fig.

5,:and during this backward movement the carrier 8 moves sufliciently to'carry the" metal leaf out of the path of'movementof' the die. The diethen descends and is brought into 'direct contact with the metal leafwhich has been separated from the backing and causedto adhere to thematerial by the former movement of the die. This second operation givesthe impression the highly desirable burnished appearance. It willbe'unders'tood, of course, that the prac ticeof my improved method isnot limited to'the'use of any'particular devices or ap paratus, and thatthe implements illustrated in the drawings have been'shown merely forthe purpose of, giving a better; understanding of theinvention.

I haveshownat'12 a rotary plate with which'the'sizing roll 10 is broughtinto contact at each backward movement thereof and by which therequisite sizing is supplied to said roll.

I claim:

1. The method of making a metal leaf impression on material whichconsists in applying metal leaf directly to unsized material, applying acoating of sizing to a heated die member, Dressing the sized die memberagainst the metal leaf thereby to cause the portion of the latter whichis subjected to the pressure of the die member to adhere to thematerial, withdrawing said die member, applying a second coating ofsizing thereto, and then again pressing the sized die member against themetal leaf impression made by the first operation of saiddie member.

The method of making a metal leaf impression on material which consistsin providing a strip of metal leaf secured to a backing of porous paper,placing said strip on the unsized surface ofthe material with the metalleaf resting against the face of the material, applying a coating ofsizing to a heated die member, pressing said sized die member againstthe paper backing whereby the sizing will penetrate the backing andmetal leaf and causing the portion of the Gopies of this patent may beobtained for metal leaf against which the die member acts to adhere tothe unsized material, withdrawing the die member and the strip, and thenpressing said die member directly against the metal leaf impressionformed by the first operation of said die member.

8. The method of making a metal leaf impression on material whichconsists in providing a strip of metal leaf secured to a backing ofporous paper, placing said strip on the unsized surface of the materialwith the metal leaf resting against the face of the material, applying acoating of sizing to a heated die member, pressing said sized die memberagainst the paper backing whereby the sizing will penetrate the bacln'ngand metal leaf and causing the portion of the metal leaf a ainst whichthe die member acts to adhere to the unsized material, withdrawing thedie member and the strip, applying a coating of sizing to said diemember and then pressing the sized die member directly against the metalleaf impression on the material thereby to burnish it.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

FRED A. PUTNAM.

Washington, D. 0.

